Goodwill Industries of Kanawha Valley to launch Mission Mobile
The following article first appeared in The Parkersburg News & Sentinel on May 6th, 2023.
Goodwill Industries of Kanawha Valley announced the launch Thursday of Mission Mobile, a custom mobile career and training development hub equipped to provide services to its 20-county footprint.
Jackson County is among the counties Goodwill serves and where the organization chose to make the announcement.
“Jackson County is undergoing an optimistic transition through the arrival of industry and continued economic growth,” Megan Diehl, vice president of brand management for Goodwiid, said. “Along with that growth, Goodwill wants to serve as a pillar of service for this area’s most vulnerable citizens,”
Goodwill remains committed to the mission of raising West Virginians out of poverty, Diehl said.
“We know transportation is a huge barrier for our rural communities, the lack of public transportation often hinders our citizens from seeking the services they so desperately need,” Diehl said.
Mission Mobile will be equipped with a classroom, designated career coaches, Wi-Fi service for the individuals in the community needing connectivity and more.
The initiative received $100,000 from the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley.
“We are thrilled to be able to make this donation to Goodwill Industries of the Kanawha Valley. We know that the Mission Mobile Project will be a game changer for this community and we are so proud to be a part of that,” Stacy DeCicco, United Way executive director, said. “We are thankful that Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables had the faith in us to coordinate implementation for their charitable investment.”
United Way will make strategic decisions about how that gift can make a transformational and lasting impact in the region, DeCicco said.
The funds are from a $500,000 contribution from BHE to the United Way last fall. It was the largest single donation the local United Way has ever received.
BHE Renewables and Precision Cast Parts, part of the Berkshire Hathaway group, are developing a solar-powered titanium melt plant on 2,000 acres in Ravenswood, the site of the closed Century Aluminum. The plant will be the first renewable energy microgrid-powered industrial site in West Virginia.
“Mission Mobile will bring the services to the backyards of our communities. It will allow Goodwill to bring a plethora of services from not only our organization but partner organizations like the United Way of the Mid-Ohio Valley,” Danial Gum, vice president of mission advancement for Goodwill, said. “Through the pledge of $100,000 from United Way of the MOV, we will have our Mission Mobile Unit in areas of Jackson County and beyond, by the end of this year. We thank Executive Director Stacy DeCicco and her team for supporting our mission.”
Also participating in the celebration was Alicia Knapp, president and CEO of BHE Renewables.
“We are thrilled to see the BHE Foundation’s investment in the United Way Alliance being put to use in such a meaningful way,” Knapp said. “Creating pathways to employment will ensure more people can participate in West Virginia’s growing economy.”
In 2022, Goodwill Industries of Kanawha Valley provided over 28,000 services to West Virginians. For more information on their programs, follow the agency on social media or at www.goodwillkv.com.